Time to think

How often do we actually have time to think? I want to share with you a recent activity that’s made a big difference in team meetings. This is based upon Nancy Kleins Thinking Environment. Thinking pairs is an activity that we’ve been trying out at the start of all meetings. It’s an opportunity to pair up and to discuss what’s on your mind. How often do you have the chance to talk, uninterrupted, and with the full attention of the person you’re speaking with? In reality that’s probably not very often but talking, thinking and listening in this way gives the opportunity to share thoughts and to gain a deeper understanding of the person that they are paired with. After 5 minutes the pairs are reversed and the the listener has the chance to speak and share. Without exception every single person involved has said this has made a positive impact on meetings that they have attended and has also given them a deeper insight into their colleagues, their concerns and their lives in general. So next time you have a meeting why not try something different? Start the meeting by asking people to pair up, to share what’s on their mind without interruption before the listener interacts with them. If your experience is anything like mine, your colleagues will say that it’s made a massive impact too and that can only be positive .